Friday, 21 January 2011

Introduction to cameras: Skills

Introduction to cameras: Skills

We had an introduction to cameras and how to operate them as well as the Dos and Don’ts.

Some Basic things that we learn which however play an important role in the outcome of your production is for instance trying to have your camera as much on the Tripod as possible. A Tripod itself is the stand the camera uses for support as usually has 3 legs. This stands provides support and stability therefore making your shots smoother. Also it makes taking shots such as a panning shot quick and easy with a great outcome.

Another basic skill that we learnt which still plays a big part in the outcome of our production is to never use the Zoom button when filming, the only time we can use it is to focus a shot and then film.

Consequently, because we use the Manual setting instead of Auto setting we had to focus each and every shot before we start filming. The reason being is that with the manual setting you have to adjust everything yourself, unlike with the Auto option where the camera Lens focuses by itself, and finds people with the face detection. However the good thing about using the Manual setting is that at the very least you’llknow how light and shadow interact on film or digital media so if you did decide to work in auto mode you’d be sure of getting it right as sometimes it can be a bit tricky with the lighting.

In the end we got to put the skills we learnt into practise by creating a small video footage ourselves, which allowed us to experiment around with the different options and at the same time remind ourselves of all the camera shots such as over the shoulder, mid shot etc.